CloudStore 2 goes live

The second iteration of the government’s CloudStore has gone live today, the Cabinet Office has announced.

It claims that the iteration has better functionality in terms of searching and comparing services and prices. It also enables buyers to purchase directly through the store if they are registered with the government eMarketplace.

The intention is to make the service better for suppliers because payments will be quicker and easier. Profiles of companies can be edited more quickly, according to the Cabinet Office.

It said the iteration was built on the government eMarketplace, as a way of using existing technology, but that it is still the government’s intention to consider using open source in future versions.

Andy Nelson, the government chief information officer, said: “Using cloud solutions in the public sector that have been assured and accredited will almost always be less expensive, and we will only pay for what we use.

“We had overwhelming interest in the first CloudStore. Today’s iteration improves on the original in a range of ways better functionality on searching, price comparison and payment are just a few examples.

“CloudStore will continue to evolve and change. For this iteration it made practical and financial sense to use an existing government platform. We look forward to feedback from users as we continue on our cloud journey.”